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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Review of "A Well Paid Slave"

Some events that are historical for a sport are not made on the playing field. In baseball, one of these was a Supreme Court decision filed by a player who had nothing to gain and everything to lose by doing so. If you have not heard of Curt Flood, then by all means you should read this book. If you have, you will enjoy reading this account of the man and his case against Major League Baseball.

In early
1970, Curt Flood, an all-star outfielder, was part of a multi-player trade
between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Having
established himself in the city with both business and on the Cardinals, Flood
refused to report to the Philles and wanted to remain with the Cardinals. However, because of baseball’s reserve clause
that tied a player to a team until he was traded, released or sold to another
club, Flood had to report to Philadelphia if he wanted to play baseball in the
1970 season.

Instead of doing so, he sought legal advice and also financial backing from the
players’ union and decided to sue Major League Baseball. By doing this, he knew
he had little to gain ( he was giving up a $90,000 annual salary, one of the
highest in baseball at that time) and a lot to lose. But he was willing to take
that risk in order to stand up to a principle.

The
resulting legal case, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, and Flood’s
life both in and out of baseball are portrayed in this excellent book by former
attorney Brad Snyder. Ironically, Snyder
also quit HIS job in order to research and write this book. While it is not known if Snyder had the same
professional and financial difficulties that Flood faced after quitting
baseball, his knowledge of the legal system aids in making this book a good
detailed account without legal language or compound sentences making it
harder.

The book
is at its best when it portrays Flood as a man with principles who just wants
to end the practice of binding players to one team unless the owner sees fit to
discard him in whatever manner is best for the owner. In addition to the court
cases, Snyder recaps much of Flood’s baseball career and how it hardened him so
that he was prepared to face the risks of suing Major League Baseball. In one excellent chapter on Flood’s minor
league playing days in the South, the prejudice Flood faces is not unlike that
which Jackie Robinson endured when he broke the color barrier. Robinson was an inspiration for Flood in both
baseball and civil rights matters and it is stated so several times in the
book.

Flood’s
life falls to pieces after his baseball playing days are done and the Supreme
Court rules against Flood. His financial
problems, drinking problems and relationship issues are documented well, but
not too much in order to preserve the main focus of the book – how Flood opened
the door toward the eventual demise of the reserve clause in 1975.

Snyder’s
legal expertise was also evident in his excellent coverage of the actual
hearing in front of the Supreme Court. Snyder is especially critical of Flood’s
attorney Arthur Goldberg’s presentation in front of the justices by basically
saying that the true reason that the reserve clause should be abolished was
never truly expressed by Goldberg. That
part is by far the best of the legal writing in the book.

This book
should be read by not only fan, but modern-day baseball players in order for
them to truly appreciate what Flood did and sacrificed for them. The multi-million dollar contracts that are
common for even regular players today would not have been possible without one
man challenging the sport not for selfish reasons, but just because he felt it
was the right thing to do.

Did I skim?

No,
because skipping over any portion of this book would mean the reader would miss
key facts or elements crucial to Flood’s case against baseball.

Pace of the book:

I found
the first third of the book rather slow and hard to concentrate as it mainly
concentrates on Flood’s case in the lower court. However, once it gets to the Supreme Court,
the book reads much faster for all topics – the legal matter, Flood’s baseball
career and his life.

Do I recommend?

An
absolute must-read for any sports fan who wants to understand the background of
how players were able to obtain the freedom to go to any team – not just in
baseball but for all team sports.